Caracol AM, a US-Italian original equipment manufacturer (OEM) of large-format additive manufacturing (AM) systems, has announced the launch of the company’s first metal printer, Vipra AM. A directed energy deposition (DED) system, the Vipra AM will debut at Formnext 2024 in Frankfurt, Germany (November 19-22).

Vipra AM comes in two different configurations, each emphasizing a different set of strengths. The Vipra XQ (Extreme Quality) targets industries like aerospace and energy, which require high-strength, precise parts, made from materials such as stainless steel and titanium. The Vipra XP (Extreme Productivity) is better-suited for aluminum and nickel-alloys, and is optimized for use-cases where throughput rate is the priority.

In both cases, customers can rely on the same attention to quality control and ease-of-use that has been driving sustained interest in the company’s flagship Heron AM composite printer.

Formnext attendees can learn more about the Vipra AM printers at the Caracol booth, C101 in Hall 12.1. On November 19, 2024, at 4 PM (CET), Caracol will unveil the Vipra with a unique panel discussion concerning the synergies between polymer and metal large-format AM.

In a press release about Caracol AM’s launch of the Vipra AM metal printers, the company’s CEO, Francesco De Stefano, said, “At Caracol, we believe that the future of manufacturing lies in combining a strong application focus with advanced innovative technologies that reshape the capabilities of indsutrial production lines. With Vipra AM, we’ve leveraged the extensive know-how developed over years working on advanced process control and software for Large Format AM with thermoplastics and composites materials, to develop a proprietary cutting-edge metal platform that combines state-of-the-art hardware and software, with advanced robotic monitoring and automation. Thanks to this innovative technology, we want to enlarge the possibilities of industrial manufacturers to produce their most complex large-scale projects.”

This is an exciting release precisely because of how meticulous and deliberate Caracol is in its product development: if the company is taking as bold a step as delving into metals, it’s because the Caracol team knows that it has a machine is ready to deliver results immediately. Moreover, because the company has been so ahead-of-the-curve in terms of what it refers to as its “application-first approach”,  it already has an impressive number of footholds into industries like maritime and clean energy that could jumpstart the Vipra’s success right out of the gate.

Caracol is also well-positioned to translate its composites strengths into the metals market because the of the company’s proprietary software. Along those lines, the vantage point that Caracol is cultivating at the forefront of the full gamut of materials for robotic AM gives the company the potential to eventually become a software player in its own right.

Of all the biggest AM trends of 2024, I think the accelerating maturity of large-format robotic systems is the one I find most promising. In terms of the AM industry’s ability to attract customers from the most advanced levels of the manufacturing sector, companies selling robotic arm systems may have the most long-term potential.

Images courtesy of Caracol AM